Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Lesbian couple sues area clinic after sperm mix-up
by Matt Simonette
2014-10-06

This article shared 5127 times since Mon Oct 6, 2014
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


An Ohio lesbian recently filed a lawsuit against a Downers Grove, Illinois, fertility clinic, alleging that it sent an incorrect specimen, leading to her inadvertently giving birth to a biracial child.

According to the complaint, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Jennifer Cramblett of Uniontown, Ohio, engaged Midwest Sperm Bank in 2011 to provide sperm so that she and her partner, Amanda Zinkon, could have a baby. But, thanks to a seeming clerical error, the couple was sent the sperm of an African American man, resulting in a daughter, now two years old, of mixed race. Cramblett and Zinkon had selected a Caucasian donor.

Cramblett is asking for damages for wrongful birth and breach of warranty, according to the complaint, which says that Midwest Sperm Bank uses a paper-based filing system that led to her being sent a vial from a donor numbered "330," instead of "380," which she had requested.

"Midwest Sperm Bank committed the one error that a sperm bank can never commit: mixing up the sperm," said Cleveland-based attorney Tim Misny, who is representing Cramblett. "We have given them every opportunity to do the right thing. [But] Jennifer wants Midwest Sperm Bank to update their reporting techniques so that this never happens again."

The complaint further alleges that clinic officials cut off all contact between themselves and Cramblett when the mistake became apparent. Misny said that when Cramblett tried to make further inquiries about the background of the donor whose sperm was used, clinic staff hung up on her.

"We made several good faith attempts to negotiate a very reasonable settlement," he said. "Midwest Sperm Bank has taken an arrogant disdain to doing the right thing. Hence, we are in court."

Cramblett is suing for damages largely to finance a move away from Uniontown, Misny noted. "It's a very rural town in eastern Ohio, where there are no Black people. There are no biracial babies. … When Jennifer learned that she was going to have a biracial baby, she admitted that she was underwater. She was overwhelmed."

According to the complaint, raising a biracial child in Uniontown has been difficult. Family members, who have already been struggling with Cramblett being a lesbian, have been less than accepting. Misny said the couple has had few troubles with local townspeople, but they think their daughter would face less stigma in a more diverse community.

"[Cramblett] only wants to give her daughter a rich, diversified culture in which to flourish," said Misny. "There are some towns outside of Cleveland—Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights—where it's pretty common to see biracial kids and mixed race couples, and she wants to relocate there with her partner and her daughter, so when her daughter runs into preschool in the morning, she's not the only biracial child, and will have the opportunity to be exposed to her own African American culture, and flourish within it."

Misny added that Cramblett would also like money to help with cost incurred for ongoing counseling for the family. He pointed out that, in Ohio, a family adopting a child of a different or mixed race would be expected to undergo continual counseling. "We're asking that same standard be applied, and that Midwest Sperm Bank pay."

Cramblett has faced criticism from many quarters since filing the suit, as many commentators have suggested that it stemmed from disappointment over the race of their daughter, a charge that Misny denies.

"She loves her daughter with all her heart, and she should be commended for saying, 'I need to relocate, so I can find a better, diverse environment for my little girl,'" he said. "When you look at the facts of the case, what is fair here is to change the policies so that this doesn't happen again, and to get her compensation for counseling and to relocate—that is abundantly fair on all levels."


This article shared 5127 times since Mon Oct 6, 2014
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course
2024-03-18
Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

UK health service to stop routinely prescribing puberty blockers to minors
2024-03-14
NHS (National Health Service) England confirmed that children will no longer routinely be prescribed puberty blockers at gender-identity clinics, the BBC reported. The decision came after a review found there was "not enough evidence" that they ...


Gay News

One Roof Chicago launches youth-focused workforce development program
2024-03-14
One Roof Chicago (ORC) is set to launch its first training, education and job placement program for LGBTQ+ young adults in late spring. This Community Health Workers and Elder Care program is a part of ORC's ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty
2024-03-14
Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty, 82, of The Breakers at Edgewater Beach, and a former resident of Andersonville, passed away Feb. 16 surrounded by her loving family. Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Dorothy was raised on Chicago's South and ...


Gay News

Howard Brown experts discuss advocacy and allyship for Chicago's trans community
2024-03-14
By Alec Karam - Howard Brown Health's Trans & Gender Diverse People's Rights & Patient Care panel convened March 12 to discuss both resources for—and opportunities to provide allyship to—the city's trans and gender diverse communities. The event hos ...


Gay News

UPDATE: Nex Benedict's death ruled a suicide; family responds
2024-03-13
A medical examiner's report concluded that the cause of death of Oklahoma student Nex Benedict (he/they) was suicide, media reports confirmed. Benedict—a 16-year-old transgender student—died Feb. 8, a day after ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health faces October trial if settlement isn't reached with union
2024-03-13
Howard Brown Health could go to trial over unfair labor practice allegations if the LGBTQ+ health center doesn't reach a settlement with its agreement soon. Chicago's regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed ...


Gay News

Pro-choice activists protest crisis pregnancy center on International Women's Day
2024-03-11
The rainy weather on March 8 didn't deter a passionate group of pro-choice protesters from gathering in Old Town on International Women's Day. Following the opening of Women's Care Center—a crisis pregnancy center—directly next to Pl ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Altercation, mpox research, Univ. of Fla., George Santos, tech battle
2024-03-08
Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders, the Washington Blade reported, republishing an article from Philadelphia Gay News. Celena ...


Gay News

Pride 365 event emphasizes year-round support for LGBTQ+ employees
2024-03-07
Queer employees are queer all year-round. The need for employers to accordingly support and uplift them year-round was the core message at Howard Brown Health and Citywide Pride's Pride 365 "Out of Office to Out in ...


Gay News

AMA launches toolkit to increase screenings for HIV, STIs, hepatitis, tuberculosis
2024-03-06
Press release - CHICAGO — With disruptions in clinical care caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and viral hepatitis across the U.S., the American Medical Association ...


Gay News

Ghana parliament passes harsh anti-LGBTQ+ bill
2024-02-29
On Feb. 28, Ghana's parliament unanimously passed a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill that has been condemned globally. The so-called Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Act, which was introduced in the parliament in 2021, not only criminalizes ...


Gay News

APA adopts policy supporting transgender, gender diverse and non-binary individuals
2024-02-28
From a press release: WASHINGTON—The American Psychological Association (APA) has adopted a landmark policy affirming evidence-based care for transgender, gender diverse and nonbinary children, adolescents and adults, noting that recent ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Mike Simmons discusses LGBTQ+ health disparities, child tax credit
2024-02-27
State Senator Mike Simmons is running unopposed in the March 19 election. Simmons began representing the 7th District after the former state senator, Heather Steans, retired. He's lived in the area his entire life. ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.